Darksiders Origins: Death
by TheGuyOverThere101
Summary: Have you ever wondered where the Four Horsemen came from? And who they were before they became Nephilim? This story shows how the our heroes came to be. Rated T for violence, and some language.
1. Chapter 1: In the beginning

**Author's notes: This is my first fanfic that i am making public, so let me know what you think. Also, be nice.**

* * *

_Since the dawn of time, the armies of Heaven and Hell have waged an endless war. Drawn to the conflict was the Charred Council, an entity bound by ancient laws to preserve order and balance. It held that any great power, unchecked, threatened the very fabric of the universe._

_Amid the turmoil, the first humans emerged. The Council foretold a prophecy in which four of these creatures would be chosen to become their greatest warriors - a fearsome brotherhood known as the Four Horsemen. Thus a third kingdom was named - the Kingdom of Man._

_By order of the Council, a truce was forged between Heaven and Hell. The great pact was bound by Seven Seals, to be broken at the appointed time - when Man's kingdom stood ready for the Endwar - a battle that would bring balance, and determine the ultimate fate of the three kingdoms..._

* * *

The Council watched the Third Kingdom as the humans rushed through their busy lives, unaware of the Council's existence. The three stone heads' eyes blazed as they observed the chaos of humans.

"The Law is clear!" the middle head roared. "When the Seventh Seal is broken, Four Horsemen shall ride fourth to punish the wicked!"

"The War draws near!" the left head declared. "Yet the Horsemen have not been chosen!"

"The Horsemen should have been chosen years ago!"

"That is why we shall choose!" the right head bellowed.

Four stones floated in front of the Council. Each had a rotating outer ring with runes around it. In the middle was a horse's head carved into it.

"This is not within our power!" The left head sighed. "We cannot change destiny"

The middle head looked at the stones as they hurtled down to earth like comets. "Perhaps this is destiny!"

* * *

50 years later….

Friday, June 13th, 2014

The final bell rang, signaling the last day before Summer Vacation, the day very kid looks forward to. Every kid in their classes got up to leave. The halls filled with teenagers who had no work to do for a long time.

"Summer Vacation! Just what I need!" a blonde haired boy sang. "Finally out of this Hell-hole!"

The boy's name was Samuel Steel, or just "Sam" to everyone else. He was a pale, short, undersized boy with a round face and dimples. He was naïve, shy, and somewhat of a geek to others. He got sarcastic when angry or afraid, and it often got him into trouble.

Sam burst through the front doors of the school and began to walk home. Summer had indeed come. The sun shone brightly, there wasn't a cloud in the sky, and the sweet smells of summer greeted his nose.

But Sam had other priorities. His grandfather, Lawrence Steel, used to be an archeologist and had left Sam a particular item. It was a round stone with an outer ring that rotated. The ring had mysterious runes on it, and the middle stone had a mark that looked like a horse's head. Or a sword's blade, Sam wasn't sure.

Sam planned on taking it to the local cemetery, where he saw similar markings in a crypt. He had gotten in a lot of trouble for going there last winter, but now Sam was determined to find out what was going on with the relic.

Sam was snapped out of his thoughts when a strong hand pulled him off of the sidewalk, and against the metal fence. He looked into the angry eyes of his attacker. It was a boy named Xavier, Sam wasn't sure of his last name, and his gang.

_Ah Hell! _Sam thought. _He looks pissed._

"Hey there Sam the Sicko!" Xavier grinned.

Sam the Sicko was the nickname he had given Sam on the first day of school.

"What do you want?" Sam tried to sound tough.

"Who said you could hug my girlfriend like that?"

_Oh here we go! _Sam mentally groaned. "We're just friends! And lab partners!"

"Don't think I don't see you staring at her tits when she's not looking!" Xavier snarled. "I know you want her! But she wouldn't date a loser if her life depended on it!"

"Well she's dating you, and who's a bigger loser than that?" Sam quipped.

"Oooooh!" Xavier's friend Todd howled. "Burn!"

Xavier shoved his friend and stared daggers at Sam.

"Too much?" Sam smiled nervously.

Sam knew that Xavier and his cronies were about to beat the shit out of him, so he reacted to his first instinct. He kicked Xavier in the stomach, and while the boy was down he ran. He knew where he had to go, right to his father's work. So off he ran towards town.

Meanwhile he could hear the angry shouts and cussing behind him. Sam jumped over a wall and landed smoothly.

"I'm getting good at parkour!" Sam panted.

Sam may have been short, but he was an exceptionally fast runner. He was already way ahead of the angry teenagers behind him, and had the advantage of parkour.

Sam rolled a nearby shopping cart backwards, which made contact with the gang behind him.

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" Xavier called after Sam.

"Don't think so!" Sam panted.

Finally Sam made it to "Oregon Grill", where his father worked as a food server. He rushed inside so fast you'd think the Hounds of Hades were after him.

"Yeah go hide behind Mr. Waiter for a Dad!" Xavier taunted as Sam ran inside.

The employees knew Sam well, so he could come and go as he pleased. Sam walked around to the kitchen and spotted his father.

"Dad! Could you give me a ride home?" Sam asked.

"Why did you come all the way here?" Mr. Steel asked. "It would have been faster to just walk home."

"Well I kind of ran into a situation out there,"

Sam jerked his thumb towards the window to the gang waiting outside for him.

"Those guys again?" Mr. Steel groaned. "How can you let them do this to you?"

"How can I stop them?" Sam protested. "Anyway can you drive me?"

"Sorry Bud," Mr. Steel sighed. "I've got two more shifts to work."

"But this time they want to murder me!"

Mr. Steel pointed out the window. "Look, they're not even there anymore."

"Okay, bye Dad," Sam walked toward the door. "Love you."

"Love you too."

Sam stepped out into the parking lot and turned to go home. But before he could make it to the sidewalk, Xavier and his cronies jumped him and resumed to give him the worst beating of his life.

Xavier punched Sam in the jaw, and then kicked him in the groin. The gang then proceeded to repeatedly punch, kick, and violate him. When it was over, they took his wallet and left.

Sam stumbled to his feet, spat the blood out of his mouth, and screamed at them "FUCK YOU!" All this got him was a rock thrown at his forehead which knocked him down again. Sam then got up, and continued to walk home.


	2. Chapter 2: A new day

**So here's chapter 2. I've gotten two reviews so far, and I hope you enjoy this story. So review, like, fave, and have a nice day. Peace on the streets!**

* * *

Sam looked at his swollen jaw and bleeding right eye in the mirror. His father came into the bathroom with a pack of ice and some bandages.

"I'm so sorry," Mr. Steel sighed as he handed Sam the ice.

"It's okay," Sam nursed his bloody eye. "How many times are you gonna say that?"

"Until you feel better." Mr. Steel replied. "I had no idea how bad it would get."

Sam walked out of the bathroom and to the rickety dining table. He and his father both lived in a cheap studio apartment, which was the only place they could afford to live. Two years ago, Elizabeth Steel, Sam's mother, had died. She was murdered, but the killer was never caught, much less identified. His father completely fell apart. He lost his job, and couldn't get a new one. All he would do when he came home was sit at home and read his Bible.

"Well I've gotta go back to work now," Mr. Steel said as he tightened his tie. "There's some money on the table for dinner."

"Yeah, see you," Sam continued to nurse his eye.

Mr. Steel turned to leave, but not before looking at Sam and saying, "I love you buddy,"

"I know Dad," Sam replied. "You tell me every day."

Mr. Steel nodded and left for work. Sam just sat at the table contemplating his day. His eye still "stung like a bitch" and his jaw throbbed to no end.

"Man, why does this always happen to me?" Sam cried.

He punched the table and plopped down on the sofa. He lay on his side flipping through channels, until he finally settled on a re-run of Seinfeld. Finally, after an hour or two, Sam dosed off into dreamland.

Sam was awoken suddenly by a knock at the door. He jolted from the couch and fell off. After brushing himself off, he walked to the door and answered. The door was stuck as usual, but with one firm pull, the door swung open and Sam fell back on his ass.

"Dammit! Why doesn't Dad get the door fixed?" Sam groaned as he rubbed his posterior.

Sam got up, and identified his guest. It was a beautiful girl his age with long reddish hair, light green eyes, and a nose ring. She wore a pink sleeveless shirt, and a miniskirt with a floral design.

Her name was Jamie Carson. She was Sam's lab partner in Mr. Anthony's class. She was also Xavier's girlfriend. Although Sam had a crush on her, and she always referred to him as "adorable", she would rather be with Xavier after class.

"Hey," She smiled shyly.

"Hey," He said back.

Sam was confused. She had never been to his house before, and he was pretty sure that she didn't know where he lived.

"Um, so how do you know where I live?" Sam questioned.

"Facebook," She replied. "Are you gonna let me in?"

"Oh right," Sam leaned to the side to let her in.

She walked over to the couch and sat down.

"Welcome to the pent-house," Sam smirked.

Jamie laughed slightly as Sam sat next to her.

"I'm really sorry about Xavier," She said "He can be such an asshole."

"Trust me," Sam touched his swollen eye. "I know."

Sam remembered the beating Xavier gave him on the first day of high school. It was an "initiation", he had said. None of the teachers would do anything because Xavier was a star soccer player, and they couldn't let the boy get expelled or suspended. So instead they let Xavier get off scott free, and Sam got punished for Xavier's misdeeds.

"Why do you stay with him?" Sam finally broke the awkward silence. "He beats the crap out of me repeatedly, he has sex with your best friend, and he got arrested last week."

"I dunno," Jamie felt hurt. "Just can't resist bulging biceps, and six packs I guess."

"Did he once ever listen to your problems?" Sam asked. "Or complement you, or be a friend to you?"

"No, no, and no," Jamie replied.

"If you like a girl, you should respect her," Sam continued. "Let her know she's special."

Jamie thought about it. Xavier always treated her like an object, not a person.

Suddenly, the front door burst open, and Xavier waltzed in. "Jamie! What the hell are you doing here?"

"How do all these people know where I live?" Sam groaned.

"Facebook," Xavier replied.

"We aren't friends on Facebook!"

"Look, no more hangin' out with geeks!" Xavier grabbed Jamie's arm. "Whaddya say we go for a ride?"

"Let go of me you jerk!" Jamie shoved him off. "We're through!"

"What?" Xavier blinked.

"I'm breaking up with you!"

"You're WHAT?!" Xavier exploded.

"Sam made me realize how stupid I was being," Jamie put a hand on Sam's shoulder. "He taught me how women need respect!"

"Sam the Sicko?" Xavier couldn't believe it.

"Never mind how he looks," Jamie continued. "This is a man! And the kind of guy I want!"

Xavier just turned around, punched the wall, and left.

"Wow," was all Sam could say.

"So, if you're not too busy," Jamie smiled. "Maybe I could stay?"

Sam mentally jumped up and down cheering. "Yeah I guess." Suddenly Sam's phone rang.

"Hello?" Sam answered.

"Sam! Where the hell are you man?" A frantic boy on the other end demanded.

"Nathan?"

"You should have met us at the cemetery an hour ago!"

"Aw crap!" Sam groaned. "I forgot!"

Jamie got up off the couch. "Maybe I should go,"

"No no no!" Sam objected. "I'd love to hang out, but not now! How about tomorrow?"

"Sure!" Jamie smiled. "So I'll see you then."

"Yeah see you," Sam waved as she let herself out.

* * *

The cemetery was four blocks away from Sam's house, and He and his friends liked to go there at night trying to scare one another. Tonight however was different, Sam wanted to find out more about the stone and possibly where it came from.

Sam walked through the dark cemetery on the lookout for chainsaw killer and zombies. It got pretty spooky at night there. Nobody even buried anything in there anymore. Not since the meteor crashed into the middle of it fifty years ago.

It was sudden, and unexpected. Not even NASA detected the meteor before it crashed deep into the Earth's crust. Surprisingly, it didn't cause much damage at all, just one large crater in the middle of the graveyard. Soon the groundskeepers built a crypt over it, buried a few more corpses in it, and that was it. Most adults would say it was a dangerous place that children should stay away from. Others would get a scared look in their eyes and change the subject.

Still Sam loved to explore the old crypt. Inside, some concrete had crumbled away, revealing an underground crypt. That's where Sam noticed the runes matching the ones on the stones.

"Dude!" a voice suddenly made Sam jump.

"Nick! Don't do that!" Sam glared at his friend.

Nick Oscar was a tall lanky boy with long strawberry blonde hair, and a goatee. He was a bit of a pervert, but a good friend nonetheless.

"Well we've almost got the hole big enough," Nick snickered.

The two walked into the musty old crypt where Nathan Daniels was waiting for them.

"Can we hurry up please?" Nathan pleaded. "That guy over there keeps staring, and it's creeping the hell outta me!"

Nathan pointed to a skeleton lying on the stone table.

"This shouldn't take long," Sam reassured his friend. "Just a few pictures and we'll be good."

Sam jumped down the hole Nick and Nathan had dug and landed on his feet.

"How is it down there?" Nathan called.

"I dunno!" Sam yelled back. "It's too dark to tell!"

As soon as he said that, a flashlight fell on his head.

"Ouch!" Sam clutched his head. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome!" Nick yelled down the hole.

Click! The flashlight blinked on, and the room lit up in a dim glow. Sam observed the walls, which had carvings, and wax drawings on them. They depicted many horned beasts, Demons Sam now corrected, fighting what appeared to be angels. One drawing was of four horses in front of three large flaming heads.

"This doesn't look like it was a part of the original crypt's design," Sam told his friends.

"Maybe it was aliens!" Nick called down.

"Does everything have to be aliens with you?" Nathan demanded.

Sam took the stone out of his backpack, and took a look at the marking in the middle of the floor. It was almost an exact match. Sam turned the outer ring on the stone to match the markings on the floor. He also noticed an opening on the floor along with other stones, matching Sam's, surrounding the circle. Three stones, one on each side. Sam leaned down and inserted the stone into the hole. Suddenly the four stones began glowing in an orange flame.

"Holy Shit!" Sam yelped as the flames surrounded the marking on the floor.

Suddenly fire erupted around him and engulfed his entire body. He screamed in pain as the flames burned his flesh and bone. The pain was unlike anything he had ever felt. He screamed until the pain became too much to bear, and he blacked out.

* * *

**So what did you think? I doubt anyone ever thought the horsemen were humans once. You must be thinking "But they're nephilim! How can they be humans?!" Well all of that will be explained in the next chapter. So bye for now. **


	3. Chapter 3: The Council's will

Sam felt an intense heat wash over him as he regained consciousness. His head ached profusely, and his skin felt like a big sun burn. When he finally opened his eyes and sat up, he found himself in a dark, flaming realm with three other humans.

"Wha…" Sam gasped. "If I'm dead then am I in Hell?"

Indeed this place fitted all of the descriptions of the dark kingdom he had heard before. Fire and brimstone, choking darkness. It was all in the Good Book.

"Man, Father George nailed that one!" He fell back onto the ground. "What did I do? Why do I deserve tortures beyond human comprehension?"

Suddenly the ground rumbled as a deep voice growled to them. "Welcome Horsemen!"

Sam looked up and saw three stone skulls on fire watching them.

"We have long awaited your arrival!" Judging by the voice, it had come from the one in the middle.

After it said that one of the humans, a boy around Sam's age, got up and ran. Although he got nowhere, for he was levitated in mid air. "Aaaaahh! Wild demon! Wild demon! Heeeelllllp!"

"Sit down!" The left head ordered.

The boy obliged.

"You have been brought here by us to become our greatest warriors!"

One of the other humans, a small Asian girl spoke to the heads in Japanese. Sam could recognize a few words here and there, but not enough to make out a full sentence.

"Our tongue changes depending on who listens!" The middle head bellowed. "You each have been chosen by fate to bring judgment to the wicked!"

"Wait a minute! Wait a minute!" Sam yelled. "Do you mind explaining what the hell is going on?"

"YOU WILL BE SILENT!" All three of the heads cried.

"Okay sorry!"

"Now rise Horsemen!"

"Horsemen?" The boy who ran squeaked. "As in The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?"

"How observant you are, Strife," The left head mused.

The three head's turned their attention to behind the four humans, to a multitude of angels.

The middle head, who seemed to be the leader, spoke up again. "Rise, Strife!"

The boy who ran stood up.

"War!"

The seemingly youngest stood as well.

"Fury!"

The Japanese girl stood.

"And Death!"

Sam felt he had no control of his body, and stood to face the angels.

"Lords of Heaven!" The three heads announced. "Behold the Four Horsemen! The ones who shall bring judgment on the earth!"

"You desecrate the Balance!" An angel with the biggest wings and a patch over his right eye yelled. "Bad enough you keep us from exterminating the human vermin. Now you give them power!"

"WHO CHALLENGES THE COUCIL?!" The middle head roared. "You Abbadon?"

Abbadon growled and looked away.

"I thought as much." The left head said.

"So what happens now?" Sam nervously asked.

"Ah yes," The middle head's eyes blazed. "Lilith!"

As soon as it called out, a female demon floated in front of the four. She had grey skin, rugged wings, and wore black clothing dripping with jewels and gold. She was a frightening sight, yet strangely attractive.

She pulled out an old bag and dipped her claw into it, then pulled out a handful of ashes. She then tossed the ashes into Sam's face which made him cough. She proceeded to do the same to the other humans as well.

"Um, is this gonna hurt?" Sam began to sweat.

As soon as he said that, pale green flames engulfed his body. Fire consumed the other humans as well. Sam thought the fire in the crypt was bad, but this was ten times worse! He felt his blood begin to literally boil, and his flesh bubble and melt.

After what seemed like an eternity of the burning, he began to change. He grew to six feet, and his muscles enlarged. His skin turned a sickly grey. His hair now draped over his shoulders and turned black. His eye color became a dark orange. Finally, a white gel emitted from his mouth and covered his face, hardening into a skull like mask. When the flames extinguished, Samuel Steel was gone, and in his place stood Death, Rider of the Pale Horse. And he was given a scythe named Harvester.

Fury wore a mid drift armor with spikes around the shoulders. Her hair, which was long and crimson, swayed down her back nearly touching the ground. Her eyes were a bright yellow, and her skin, light beige. And she was given a whip named Famine. Her mission was to take the nourishment from the earth when the time came.

War had a red cowl and silver armor on. A hood covered his head and he towered over the other four. A white crescent mark shined on his forehead, and his eyes glowed an icy blue. And he was given a large sword named Chaos Eater. His mission, when the time came, was to take peace from the earth and make men slaughter each other.

Strife wore an ivory helmet, and white armor. His hair was spiky and black. Over his shoulders was a maroon scarf that flapped in the breeze. He was given two pistols; One named Mercy, and the other named Redemption. His mission, when the time came, was to mislead the earth like a conqueror, and he would ride out to conquer.

The four kneeled before the Council as the three heads spoke.

"Riders of the Apocalypse," The middle head announced. "You will each be given one year on the earth before you are called back to us."

Death looked up at the Council.

"Afterwards your humanity, and all memories of it, will be forever lost.

The Council's eyes blazed with fire again. "Now go." All three said.

And just like that, Death blacked out.

* * *

"We're getting a pulse!"

"It's a miracle!"

"Somebody get me some morphine!"

"It's a miracle!"

"A miracle!"

Sam's eyes fluttered opened and a bright light blinded him. He looked around him seeing many machines and doctors around him. In front of him was Mr. Steel, who's eyes were red and wet. Sam realized he had been crying.

"Hey," Sam croaked. "What's going on?"

"You're in the hospital," His father replied.

"Yeah, that much I got," Sam said. "But what happened?"

"Dude!" Nick cried. "You were on fire! How are you still alive?"

Nathan elbowed Nick's ribs. "Don't make him worried!"

"Wait a minute! Wait a minute!" Sam reached for a nearby hand mirror. "Let me see my face!"

Nick pulled the mirror away from him. "I wouldn't."

"Lemme see!"

"You're gonna freak!"

"JUST GIVE ME THE DAMN MIRROR!" Sam finally pried the mirror from his friend.

Sam slowly looked into his reflection and gasped. His face… was perfectly normal. Meanwhile Nick doubled over in laughter.

"Sorry man!" He howled. "But they couldn't fix that problem!"

Sam's perfectly normal face turned red with anger. "You jerk! You scared me half to death!"

"Alright that's enough," a young pretty nurse stepped in. "Let's leave the patient to his father now shall we?"

Sam sighed as he lay back down on the cot. "Thanks."

"You okay bud?" Mr. Steel frowned.

"Do I look okay?"

"You look fine for someone who was just on fire," The nurse said. "No burns, no scars, nothing. It really is a miracle."

"Yeah," Sam sighed. "It's just, I had the craziest dream."

"I'm not surprised," The nurse replied. "With all the pain killers we gave you."

"Yeah," Sam shuddered as the stone heads' blazing eyes flashed through his head. "That must be it."

"So do you need anything?" Mr. Steel asked his son.

"What I'd really like," Sam yawned. "Is to rest."

And just like that, Sam was out like a light.


	4. Chapter 4: Transformation

**Hey guys, sorry it's been a while since my last post. I've had writers block for a while**. **But here it is,** **Chapter** 4! **The next chapter will be uploaded soon.**

* * *

_This has been the journey so far…_

_Four human beings, brought together by the Council. Together they have become more powerful than any demon, or any angel. Within one year they will be called from the earth, and their humanity shall be lost…_

* * *

Sam woke up the next morning sore all over. His muscles ached constantly as if he had spent the whole night in a gym.

"Ah! Geez," Sam groaned. "My body feels like lead."

Sam strained and sat up. "Ow!"

He then noticed how much shorter the bed felt. He shrugged it off, and hopped off the bed. When he did however, he noticed how much taller he looked in a nearby mirror. Also, since he was wearing a hospital gown, he noticed how big his arm muscles had gotten. When he took off the gown, he gasped when he saw how huge his muscles had gotten.

He actually did look like he spent the whole night in a gym. His chest and shoulders were massive, as were his abs.

"Looks like I got a visit from the puberty god last night," Sam cracked a smile. "Thank you!"

"Hey bud I bought you an egg n cheese biscuit from…" Sam's father stopped short in the middle of his sentence and dropped the McDonald's bag. "Dude!"

"I know," Sam breathed.

"How?"

"I don't know."

Mr. Steel plopped down onto a chair. "We gotta call the doctor."

"Dad, I feel fine!" Sam protested. "No not fine, I feel great!"

"Sam! This may be a growth disorder!" Mr. Steel began to panic. "You grew a foot over night! This isn't normal!"

…..

The pretty young nurse ran a series of tests on Sam until she came over to his father and said, "I can't find anything wrong with him."

"But look at him!" Mr. Steel cried. "He looks like the Hulk!"

"Actually, I think I look more like Kratos," Sam interjected.

"I know," the nurse nodded. "But it appears to be natural growth."

"No drugs?" Mr. Steel asked.

The nurse shook her head.

"So he just hit a major growth spurt over night?"

"Well it could be a belated hormonal release," the nurse pondered.

Mr. Steel still wasn't convinced. "Is he gonna be alright?"

"He should be, but just in case, have him take one of these pills each night." The nurse handed an orange bottle of pills to Mr. Steel.

"Anyway, can I get some food?" Sam asked. "I never got to eat that egg n cheese biscuit and I'm starving to death!"

…

Sam wolfed down the last of his cheeseburger, and washed it down with the rest of his chocolate shake. "Can I have some more, please?"

"More?" Mr. Steel was bewildered. "But you've already had three burgers, and three large fries."

"So? I'm hungry!"

"I guess you really did hit a growth spurt," Mr. Steel chuckled. "So when do you want to go home?"

"Soon," Sam answered. "Maybe at lunch."

The nurse came in with Sam's fourth cheeseburger.

"So I'll bet you're happy about this Mr. Muscles," Mr. Steel smiled at his son. "Now when the IRS comes for our taxes you can just scare them away!"

"Dad," Sam rolled his eyes. "The IRS doesn't come to people's houses for tax."

"I'm kidding bud."

Sam just shrugged and attacked his burger.

* * *

The nurse turned the corner to a payphone, and dialed a number.

"What did you find out?" A tall man in a suit picked up on the other end.

"The Horseman known as "Death" is here in this country," The nurse replied.

"I see, perhaps we could use this to our advantage."

"But my lord, He is only a child."

The man on the other end grew angry. **"He is a child with enough power to doom us all!"**

The man's voice grew increasingly deeper. It lowered several octaves until the lights above the nurse began to flicker, and the phone began to buzz.

**"****If he were to realize his power, then he could overthrow all three kingdoms!"**

"Okay! Okay!" The nurse cried. "What do you want me to do?"

"If Hell is to win the End War, the Horsemen shall not ride," The man explained. "We must eliminate them before they gain knowledge of their powers."

"As for the others, there are plenty of other humans on the side of Hell, so they should take care of the rest."

"Yes sir, I will see to it that he will be destroyed," The nurse hung up on the other end. "I wish I didn't have to."

* * *

Sam walked up to Jamie's door and knocked. After five seconds a large man in a white tank-top answered the door. It was her Father, Kurt.

"Who are you kid?" He grunted.

"Hi," Sam said nervously. "I'm Sam, um Jamie's friend."

"So you're her new boyfriend eh?"

Sam began to sweat. "Well I uh, not yet."

Kurt sighed. "She shouldn't have broken up with Xavier. Now that was a good kid."

"Yeah sure," Sam muttered. "You could've fooled me."

"What'd you say?"

Sam looked up at Kurt. "I said 'You could've fooled me!'"

Kurt looked as if he were about to punch Sam's lights out, when Jamie came to the door. "Dad just head back inside."

Kurt growled and slammed the door shut.

"Hey Sam," Jamie then noticed Sam's change. "Woah! You look different, what happened?"

"Honestly, I don't know," Sam chuckled. "Guess I just hit puberty."

Jamie wasn't convinced. "At sixteen?"

Sam shrugged. "Do you like it?"

"Yeah, it'll just take some getting used to."

Sam decided to change the subject. "So I have three options for our day. Option one: We go bowling. Option two: We go mini golfing. Option three: We go to a movie."

Sam held out three folded slips of paper. "Pick a card, any card."

Jamie took one, and unfolded it. It said "Mini Golfing".

"Sweet!" Jamie hugged Sam. "I love mini golf!"

Sam smiled to himself. _Who says I'm no good with the ladies?_

* * *

Down at the mini golf course, Sam and Jamie were eating cheeseburgers and talking.

"So you beat me pretty bad," Sam swallowed a bite.

"Well my dad used to take me here a lot," Jamie smiled. ""I always beat him too."

"By the way, "nice pool shot". Did you make that move up?"

"Yeah, I've found that it's a more accurate shot with the proximity of…" Sam was cut off by a sharp pain in his stomach. "Ugh!"

"You okay?" Jamie asked.

"Yeah yeah, just a little, Ugh!" the pain intensified. "I'll be fine!"

"You sure? You seem kind of pale," Jamie touched Sam's cheek. "Oh! You're so cold!"

Sam ran off to the bathroom. "I'll be right back!"

The bathroom doors burst open, and Sam ran into a stall. He leaned over and vomited into the toilet.

"Oooh," Sam groaned. "What's wrong with me?"

He fell down as body aches began to take over.

"Help!" Sam croaked.

And that was it. A familiar green flame surrounded Sam and engulfed him. Seconds later, Sam was gone, and Death was back. He kicked the stall door, and it went flying. Then he ran shoulder first through the bathroom wall. People on the other side were surprised and frightened by his appearance.

Death snapped his fingers and said, "Come Despair!" And a pale horse with rotting flesh, and green flames surrounding it appeared out of the ground. Death jumped onto the steed's back and rode off away from the mini golf course.

Jamie had seen the whole thing and rushed into the bathroom through the gaping hole.

"Sam!" She called. "Are you okay?"

But there wasn't one person in any stalls.

"Oh God!"


	5. Chapter 5: Death comes for us all

**I'm back. Sorry this chapter is a bit short, but the next chapters will be longer. I promise.**

* * *

_This has been the journey so far…_

_The human vessel, a child, has become the Horseman once more with the steed, Despair by his side. _

_"__The hour is upon me!" The Horseman said._

_With the sun down, Death must ride to protect the innocent, and punish the guilty._

* * *

Death rode through the streets, passing cars and frightened humans on the way. Despair's flaming mane blazed brightly in the twilight. Death's eyes glowed like fire behind the mask. Death finally made it to Main Street. All the cars stopped as the Horseman passed them by, and police officers arrived at the scene.

As soon as they saw the pale horse and its rider, they fired their pistols. The bullets merely bounced off of Death's skin as if he were made of steel.

"Dammit! Our weapons are useless!" An officer swore. He then took out his radio "This is Officer Winslow! We have engaged the enemy and request back up!"

"Copy that," A woman on the other end replied. "We have your location, Rendville Road at 2428! We're sending back up!"

Meanwhile Death stopped as he heard a small child's voice.

"Stop! Don't hurt my mom!" The boy squeaked.

Death pulled the reins on Despair, and his steed halted.

"Oh don't worry kid!" A scratchy voice said. "We just want to… borrow some money. All of it in fact!"

The boy was around seven or six years old, and he clutched a small Spiderman action figure close to his chest.

Three men in an alley way held guns up to the woman in front of the boy. Death decided that this was time to intervene.

"Bold, yet cowardly," Death walked in smiling behind his mask. "Humans are interesting indeed."

"A little early for Halloween isn't it?" The tallest of the member laughed.

"The council forbids me from harming humans before the End War, but that doesn't mean I can't punish you!" Death Lunged for the nearest member faster than the human eyes could see.

The member went flying upward. Death struck him in the forehead with the back of his scythe knocking him out. The other two members rushed at the Horseman. The one with the pistol fired two shots at Death, and one with a switchblade stabbed Death's left shoulder. The Horseman simply laughed as the blade bent backwards and the bullets bounced off.

"You'll have to try harder than that," Death laughed.

He swung his scythe too fast for the naked eye. The member's gun went flying, and so did his fingers.

"Aaaagh!" The punk clutched his hand which was red with blood.

The remaining punk backed up into Death who suddenly appeared behind him. He looked up at the hulking, pale reaper and began to sweat.

"Boo," Death said softly.

The punk screamed and tried to run, but he tripped. Death took this opportunity to stab the punk's leg and throw him over his shoulder.

Meanwhile the first punk that Death thought he had knocked out was up and trying to get away. Death saw this and dashed over to the punk.

"No! Please don't!" He pleaded.

But Death had other ideas. With one firm punch, the punk was out like a light.

Death turned to the boy and his mother. "They'll live."

"Who are you?" the boy asked in awe.

"An angel," Death replied.

"What's your name?" The woman was clearly afraid.

"Death."

The woman scooped her son up in her arms and held him away from the Horseman. "That's kind of an evil name for an angel."

"I'm also a demon," Death smiled behind his mask.

"You're not gonna hurt us are you?" the boy asked.

"If I wanted you dead, I wouldn't have saved you."

Death snapped his fingers, and Despair appeared before him. Death mounted his steed, and proceeded to ride off. He had other places to be. As soon as he turned a corner the police rushed into the alley, over to the unconscious punks on the ground.

"What happened here?" Officer Winslow asked the woman.

"A superhero came, and saved us from the bad guys!" The boy piped up.

"Superhero huh?" the police officer pondered. "What did he call himself?"

The boy would always remember the Horseman, for as long as he would live. "His name was Death."

….

Death walked away from five burglars who lay in an unconscious heap. They had attempted to break into the Rendville Museum and steal "The Crow's Diamond", a large gemstone found off of the coast of Costa Rica. It was worth more than any gem the world had known.

They had broken in, but before they could attempt to carry out the plan, Death showed up. He cut off one's hand, broken another's neck and cut off another's leg. As for the other two, he threw them through the front window.

"Hmph!" Death scoffed. "Not even a challenge."

Death walked over to the front doors and held up a hand. Two giant hands, bathed in a violet glow, appeared over Death's head and pushed the door open. Death walked through the opened door. He then mounted Despair who he summoned with a snap of his fingers.

Death rode on as the sun began to peek over the horizon, giving off a pink ribbon of light. Soon, Death would become the human known as Samuel Steel again. Throughout the night, he had stopped a break in, a carjacking, and three muggings.

Death rode up to the Steel's apartment where all of the lights were off. Despair disappeared in a flash of smoke, and like an acrobat from Hell Death gripped the fire escape and flipped upward. He then ran up the wall with ease and grasped the windowsill of Sam's room. The window was open, for it was a warm night, so Death slipped into the room as the sun fully came up. Green flames engulfed Death and he became Sam, who collapsed onto the bed.

* * *

Sam woke up with a splitting headache. Sam pushed himself up off of his bed and clutched his aching skull.

"Jeez, now I know what hangover feels like," Sam groaned.

Sam's father walked into the room. "Hey bud, how did you sleep?"

Death's mask and glowing amber eyes suddenly flashed through Sam's mind. He shuddered and replied, "Good, I guess."

"I didn't hear you come home last night," Mr. Steel said. "Did Jamie have good time?"

_Oh God! Jamie! _Sam thought. "Uh, y-yeah she did."

"That's good," Mr. Steel smiled. "Your first date and you didn't screw it up."

Sam didn't even know if Jamie saw Death. He could remember everything that night: From him saving the child, to stopping the burglars. Sam had to get answers, but from who? After all, who would help Death?


	6. Chapter 6: Deal or no deal

_This has been the journey so far…_

_Our rider has helped many humans along the way. He has attracted much attention, both good and bad. The human vessel now seeks answers, answers that require help. But who would help Death?_

_..._

In a big skyscraper across Rendville a tall, hulking man with jet black hair was talking to two businessmen at his desk. The man was wearing a business suit and tie, and had a small beard and moustache. If one were human, they would say he was quite handsome.

"So you're sure this is how much you want to pay for company Mr. Youngblood?" one of the men asked.

"Yes," Mr. Youngblood replied. "If it were to go bankrupt, I will be able to handle it."

Samuel Youngblood was a rich business investor, and one of the most powerful men in America.

"A pleasure doing business with you gentlemen," Mr. Youngblood said as the two men walked out of his room.

Mr. Youngblood turned his chair around to look out the window. "You can come out now Belial, Beelzebub, Zachariah, Astaroth!"

An orange circle with a pentagram in the middle appeared on the floor, and four human men emerged from it. Belial was pale and immensely fat, Beelzebub was African American and scrawny, Zachariah looked young enough to be a child dressed in a gothic manner, Astaroth looked as if he had never shaved in his life.

"Sir?" All four stood at his attention.

Mr. Youngblood's eyes blazed a fiery orange. He lifted Astaroth with telekinesis into his out stretched hand. The men's eyes were wide in terror as Mr. Youngblood crushed Astaroth's skull. Blood and brain matter oozed between the killer's fingers. And he began to slurp up the blood greedily.

"S-sir?" Beelzebub gulped. "What's the matter?"

Mr. Youngblood looked at the men and growled. Astaroth's blood dripped down his face as he looked at them.

"The Council has sent for the Horsemen!" He yelled. "Our damnation has been decided!"

Astaroth's corpse faded away in a puff of red smoke.

"Now then," Mr. Youngblood pulled out a tissue and wiped the blood off his face. "The Horseman "Death" has been seen in this city."

The others began to sweat.

"He has become somewhat of a Vigilante to the Third Kingdom," Mr. Youngblood stroked his chin.

"But sir!" Zachariah spoke up.

"We are but simple demons, the Horseman are above any of the Three Kingdoms." Mr. Youngblood smirked. "But these are of none of the three Kingdoms. They are a race that has long been repulsed. I believe you know of what I mean."

"The Nephilim…" Belial growled.

"Yes," Mr. Youngblood licked the last of the blood off his lips. "My master has long tried to control them, but they must be destroyed!"

"What is your will?" Zachariah asked.

"The Horseman may be here, but they are still children to the humans," Mr. Youngblood replied. "You appear to be around the age of Death."

Zachariah looked at the ground.

"You will pass yourself off as a "New kid" to this boy, and when the time is right you must dispose of him."

"As you wish," Zachariah smirked. "Samael."

* * *

Sam huffed and puffed as he ran to Jamie's house.

_Crap! _Sam thought. _She probably thinks I ditched her last night! _

Sam ran around the block to Jamie's house. He reached her front door and knocked. Jamie answered.

"Hey Jamie," Sam said softly. "How are you?"

Jamie looked at Sam with an unsure look. "I'm fine I guess, come in."

Sam followed her inside and sat down on her couch. Another girl wearing a revealing shirt was sitting there.

"Hey muscles," She smiled seductively. "You up for some fun?"

"Elaina!" Jamie warned. "Excuse my friend, she's not really house trained."

"It's okay," Sam scooted away from Elaina. "Neither am I."

All three just sat there in an awkward silence for about three minutes until Jamie broke the silence. "What the hell happened to you last night?"

Sam's heart skipped a beat. "Well I was um, not feeling well so I went home."

"On an undead horse from Hell?" Jamie scoffed.

"Oh," Sam chuckled. "You saw that huh?"

"The whole city saw you!"

Sam began to sweat.

Jamie glared at Sam. "Now if you're some kind of freak or something I don't want you!"

_Shit! _Sam thought. _I've gotta fix this screw-up right now!_

"I'm sorry," Jamie sighed. "I'm just scared."

Sam hugged her. "It's okay! Really, I'm scared too."

Elaina got up off the couch. "How about I leave you two alone?"

"How about you do?" Sam smiled.

…

"So you mean to tell me that you're the Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse?" Jamie asked.

"I guess so," Sam scratched the back of his head. "The Council told me, or told Death, that I have one year before I have to prepare for the Apocalypse."

"What will you have to do?"

"I don't know," Sam lied. "So what do you think?"

"Well, um," Jamie didn't know what to think. She didn't want her boy… her friend, to have to commit a hellish genocide. But he didn't seem too worried. In fact he seemed pretty happy. So all she could say was, "It's pretty cool, I guess."

"Yeah it's cool!" Sam exclaimed. "It's fucking awesome!"

…

Sam, Nick, and Nathan walked through the city looking for something to do. Sam had told his friends everything about his adventures as Death. Being his best friends they believed him, sort of. After all, how else could he have grown that much muscle over night?

"So these Council dudes turned you into the fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse?" Nick asked.

"I guess so," Sam shrugged. "But I can't really control my powers."

"What do you mean you can't?" Nathan raised an eyebrow.

"Whenever I turn into Death, he just sort of does everything for me," Sam replied. "I'm still aware of what I'm doing I just have no free will."

Sam and his friends turned a corner to an old, dark shack. It had a sign in the window saying "Vulgrim's gifts and trinkets". Vulgrim was a creepy old merchant who claimed to have traveled all over the world. His store's windows were lined with strange antiques and charms. Sam and his friends had decided to check it out for fun.

"This place could is kind of spooky," Nathan looked around in the open door. "If he's leaving the door open he must not have much worth stealing."

The three boys walked into the store and were greeted by the smell of dust and old cardboard. Most things in the store looked breakable, so they had to keep an eye on Nick.

Nathan began to wring his hands nervously. "The only thing missing is the creepy old store owner to pop out of nowhere,"

"Greetings," A soft raspy voice hissed suddenly. The boys jumped about a mile. Standing in the back of the room, in front of a curtain leading to the back room, was a tall, lanky, crotchety old man with long fingers and crooked teeth. He smiled at the boys like a snake about to catch its prey.

"What would you ask of this humble merchant?" the man rasped.

Once he caught his breath, Sam spoke, "Hey, sorry to bother you, but we're just looking around."

"Please, look around," Vulgrim smiled. "You won't be disappointed."

Nick picked up a talisman shaped like demonic skull, with a red jewel in the middle. The moment he picked it up though, a terrifying face flashed through his mind. He then dropped the talisman like a hot potato. "Well that's a no."

"I fished that old thing out of the River of Styx," Vulgrim chuckled.

"Is that a place in Europe?" Nick asked.

"Yes, as far as you know."

Nathan scanned the dusty old trinkets on the shelves, and finally picked up a large key. "What is this? The key to the city?"

Vulgrim let out a terrible cackle. "That is a Maker's Key I picked it up in the Forge Lands."

"How much?" Nathan pulled out his wallet.

"Hmm," Vulgrim thought for a moment. "I'd say about ten dollars."

Nathan pulled out a ten dollar bill and handed it to the old merchant. "I thought it'd be more."

…

Meanwhile, Sam had snuck behind the red velvet curtain. He felt a strange sensation in his chest. Something wasn't right; Vulgrim didn't seem normal. He kept staring at Sam as if he knew the boy was hiding something. His smile sent a chill up Sam's spine.

"This guy gives me the willies," Sam shuddered.

As he scanned the back room, he noticed a golden chalice encrusted with gems of a blue so bright, they were almost white. If Sam were a child, he would have tried to put it in his mouth. He picked up the chalice, and he instantly felt a soothing warmth wash over him.

However something else caught his eye. A stone tablet with a pentagram and various runes on it. In the middle of the star was an atrociously hideous demonic head carved into it. It had long gnarled horns on it's head, and teeth like a thousand needles waiting to shred a man's flesh in an instant. Underneath the pentagram was a name that he had recognized. He had just met the being with that name.

Vulgrim

"See something you like?" Vulgrim's raspy voice hissed suddenly.

Sam turned around and looked into Vulgrim's insidious smirk.

"Don't you know that it's rude to snoop?"

Sam stared up at the Merchant. "What are you?"

"Ah yes," Vulgrim licked his chops. "That is the question."

Sam continued to stare up at merchant.

Vulgrim continued. "I am no human."

"Yeah that much I got," Sam glared. "You're a demon aren't you?"

Vulgrim's grin grew wider. "An excellent observation, Death."

Sam was taken aback. "How did you…"

"I know many things boy," Vulgrim leered.

"But if you're a demon," Sam began. "Why do you look like a human?"

"Would you rather I not?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, that's a good point well made."

As soon as he said that, Vulgrim began to change. A bright blue flame began to envelope him. The demon's entire body began to burn, and the skin began to peel revealing a pale blue flesh underneath. When the flames extinguished, the human skin fell off of Vulgrim's body, revealing his true form.

His skin was scaly with a pale blue color, and his eyes glowed like a blue flame. He looked exactly like the demon on the tablet.

"So what are you gonna do?" Sam asked. "Take my soul?"

Vulgrim let out another horrible cackle. "I'm not going to do anything to you. You see I am different than the other demons."

"Yeah, I noticed," Sam mused.

Vulgrim continued. "While other demons try to deprive humans of their souls, I am but a simple merchant who only wishes to deprive them of their coins."

Sam reached into his pocket for his wallet. Before he could ask Vulgrim a question, he was answered.

"I'm afraid I can't help you with controlling your powers," Vulgrim shook his head.

Obviously this demon was a mind reader.

"Who can?" Sam asked.

Vulgrim licked his lips again. "Perhaps I could help you, for a price."

"What might that be?"

Vulgrim loomed toward Sam's driver's license. "Perhaps this could "seal the deal", as they say,"

"You want my driver's license?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

"No no," Vulgrim shook his head. "But the silver underneath it, I would like."

Sam pulled out his emergency credit card that he, being as poor as he was, never used. Sam handed it to the demon, which clutched it in his long gnarled fingers.

"Now how can you help me?" Sam asked.

"Serpent Holes," Vulgrim answered. "Ancient tunnels that spread throughout the realms."

Vulgrim waved a claw, and a portal of blue light appeared in front of the two.

"With this, you can access any realm, any city, any land in creation," Vulgrim handed a talisman to Sam. "And with this, you will be one step closer to controlling your powers."

Sam put the talisman around his neck. "What do I do when I get to… wherever this thing will take me?"

"Seek out the Keeper of Secrets," The demon replied. "He is known among others as the Crowfather. Find him, and you will find your destiny."

Suddenly they both heard glass shatter and Nick cry out, "I didn't do it!"

Vulgrim sighed in exasperation as he slipped the human skin back on. "Onward with you, I have some troubles to deal with."

With that, Vulgrim slipped behind the velvet curtain. Sam then slipped into the blue portal of light, exiting the Third Kingdom.


End file.
